Trophy Pet Foods Franchise

Judith Thomas Trophy Pet Foods Pembrokeshire

27th September 2010

My name is Judith Thomas and with my Cocker Spaniel Alfie, I run the Trophy franchise in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

I also cover South Ceredigion and West Carmarthenshire. I live in Fishguard which is about as far West in the UK as you can get – in fact the ferry to Ireland is on my doorstep. It’s a beautiful part of the world but in terms of operating a delivery service it can present challenges trying to reach mostly rural or semi-rural communities and coping with the regular influx of holiday-makers on the roads!

I purchased an established franchise in July 2008 and now have over 300 customers. Most of my new customers are from referrals but I do make a point of stopping at a beach or known dog walking area on my rounds to give Alfie a run and scan the horizon for potential new customers! It usually works a treat.

Taking over an established business presents its own challenges. True there is a ready made customer base but the flipside is that you have to “hit the ground running” from day one. At the beginning, I really thought I had made a huge mistake. During the first two weeks the previous owner of the franchise introduced me to some 200 customers as well as the normal sales deliveries, I took delivery of 5 pallets of stock, exhibited at the Fishguard show and did a sales pitch at the local vets.

Add to this labelling up literature, packing of breakdown bags and sample bags, trying to work out where everyone lives and the best routes on a round, the admin, even working out how best to load the van and drive it, getting to grips with all the products and prices – a total nightmare! But it did get better and I can recommend it as a weight loss programme.

 I put in my own systems, got some help with packing and loading, rejigged the routes to give me more backup time and now I love it. Had I known what to expect in the beginning I would have done things differently but that’s easy to say with the benefit of hindsight.

After the first few weeks, I stopped running around like a headless chicken and set myself realistic targets. I aimed to recruit a minimum of 5 new customers a month, which I have achieved. I have developed confidence and have really enjoyed building customer relationships. I know now that I did make the right move and am looking forward to developing the business.

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Further Information

Franchise Information

BFA Membership Status
Full

UK Years Established
16 years

Current UK Coverage
50%

Franchisee Support Staff
6

Personal Investment Req.
£8,000

Total Startup Cost
£18,000 approx

Home-based business location

Business to consumer services

Franchisee operates individually

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Latest Case Study

17th September 2010
David & Maureen Hume Trophy Pet Foods North East

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27th February 2012
Trophy’s News Feb 2012

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13th April 2011
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